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Usually it’s the Supreme Court justices who get to ask the tough questions. But every so often, prominent public figures come to Georgetown, and undergraduates glean the rare opportunity to ask questions in return.

Last Wednesday, those who attended Associate Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s lecture received an index card where they could write one question for Sotomayor to answer during the standard post-lecture question-and-answer session — a Gaston Hall standard that usually fosters a candid discussion and enriches university programming. In Wednesday’s case, however, the questions were screened and posed by a university official, rather than the student or event attendee who originally wanted an answer.

The crash happened around 7:47 p.m. on northbound I-270 ramp to I-370. Police identified the victim as Michael Garth Thomas, 38, of Bethesda.

The investigation shows that Thomas was on northbound I-270 at the ramp to I-370 when he lost control of his car, hit the guardrail and then became airborne. His vehicle landed on the other side of the guardrail.

Thomas was transported to the hospital where he died. Police do not believe alcohol was a factor. They say he may have suffered a medical emergency before the crash.